Notice: The Kaiser Farmer's Market will be closed on December 26, 2017 and January 2, 2018 due to the holidays.

Rather than skip January, we will be holding our plant exchange on the SECOND TUESDAY, January 9. After January,we will return to our regular schedule of first Tuesdays. The February event will be held on February 6.

Mele Kalikimaka and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou to our neighbors. Thank you for a wonderful 2017 and wishing you continued health and happiness in 2018.

After living in a dense urban area like San Francisco, I get excited when I hear a new delivery service has opened. This week, Instacart began Oahu deliveries. Included in their delivery group, are stores such as CVS, Safeway, Foodland, Times, Petco and even Costco.

The delivery price seems reasonable. It starts at $5.99 and has a minimum purchase amount of $35. There is, however, a markup on goods. At first glance, the markup didn't seem particularly steep to me. For instance, although you normally pay $4.99 for a Costco rotisserie chicken, $6.09 didn't seem that exorbitant. Add to that, you don't need a Costco membership.

On second glance, however, I realized how quickly these upcharges add up. Here's a breakdown of five items:

Item

Costco

Instacart

Upcharge

Edamame

$11.49

$13.49

17%

Rotisserie Chicken

4.99

6.09

22%

Orange Chicken

13.99

17.09

22%

Fig Bars

11.99

13.49

13%

Degree Anti-Perspirant

13.49

16.49

22%

Instacart will apply coupons from Costco's coupon book, so pricewise, that awash. Delivery times vary widely: If you're hoping to eat rotisserie chicken in the next hour, you're probably out of luck. Delivery windows are one hour long, and strangely, slot availability is staggered even at this early phase of launch.

Selection also varies. Toiletries are largely unavailable, ditto for electronics -- even something as mundane as an SD card. A couple of products listed I've never seen at the Hawaii Kai store. For instance, mainland Kirkland eggs sold in a 24-pack. Makes me wonder if that can be delivered at all.

My take: if you don't have a car this is a fabulous service. Not only can you get Costco goods (and largely split the difference in savings between Instacart and yourself -- prices are still lower than your standard grocery), you also don't need a membership. If you happen to live five minutes from Hawaii Kai Costco (which is usually not crowded, except on weekends) and have a car, I think your money and time are better spent shopping in person.

10/12/2017 - A water main break in the early hours of 10/12 affected Mariner's Ridge residents. The road was partially blocked while Board of Water Supply employees fixed the leak, and a water wagon was provided for affected homes. [KHON]

10/9/2017 - Instacart begins offering grocery delivery service for the East Oahu area this week. Deliveries start at $5.99 each, and the first one is free. There are also three express options that promise expedited deliveries from any of the available stores for an annual fee. For 3 deliveries a month the express option cost is $79/year. For 4 deliveries a month, $99/year. For unlimited deliveries, the cost is $149/year. There is a minimum delivery of $35 but multiple stores can be selected. Instacart will deliver goods from Safeway, Costco, CVS, Petco and Times. Pricing practices vary among outlets, but CVS indicates it charges the in-store price, and Costco does not indicate a markup but that prices may vary from the local store. [Instacart]

EastOahu96825 is a website focused on the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood. Articles of interest include nearby free and low-cost events, local fundraisers, Costco shopping, and my trials and tribulations in learning Japanese as a second language.

This site also posts the latest information on my pet project, a once a month plant swap that takes place every 1st Tuesday at Kaiser High School from 4-7pm.